Introspection & SDL

GraphQL's own introspection queries, versus getting the schema itself back out as CFML.

Standard introspection

With enableIntrospection left on (the default), the standard __schema/__type queries are answered over POST {basePath} like any other GraphQL server — this is what tools like GraphiQL or Apollo use to discover a schema at query time. Set it false in production if you don't want that exposed.

Exposing the schema programmatically

GraphQLService.getSchema() returns the raw graphql.schema.GraphQLSchema object the module built from your .graphqls files — inject GraphQLService@coldbox-graphql anywhere and call it:

cfscriptproperty name="graphQLService" inject="GraphQLService@coldbox-graphql";

var schema = graphQLService.getSchema();

That's a live graphql-java object, useful for anything graphql-java itself supports — most commonly, printing it back out as SDL text via graphql.schema.idl.SchemaPrinter, e.g. for docs, graphql-codegen-style client tooling, or a GET /schema endpoint. Build it via JavaClassFactory@coldbox-graphql, same as everywhere else in the module:

cfscriptcomponent {
    property name="javaClass"      inject="JavaClassFactory@coldbox-graphql";
    property name="graphQLService" inject="GraphQLService@coldbox-graphql";

    function execute( event, rc, prc ){
        // Options suppress graphql-java's built-in directives (@skip, @include, etc.)
        // and the `schema { query: Query }` block — left in, they're valid SDL but
        // noisy for anything meant to be read or fed to codegen.
        var options = javaClass.create( "graphql.schema.idl.SchemaPrinter$Options" )
            .defaultOptions()
            .includeDirectiveDefinitions( false )
            .includeSchemaDefinition( false );

        var printer = javaClass.create( "graphql.schema.idl.SchemaPrinter" ).init( options );
        var sdl = printer.print( graphQLService.getSchema() );

        event.renderData( type = "text", data = sdl );
    }
}

This is separate from GraphQL's own introspection above — introspection answers questions about the schema at query time over the wire; getSchema()/SchemaPrinter give you the schema itself, in CFML, for anything that needs the actual .graphqls text or the schema object directly.